CESC electricity dues mount up to Rs. 900 crore

• Major defaulters: Public – Rs. 400 crore
• Govt. Departments – Rs. 500 crore

Mysuru: While the Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation (CESC) has taken various initiatives to ensure that people are getting uninterrupted power supply even in the face of disruptions due to rain and wind, a major roadblock CESC is facing in its performance is the pending power bills.

The pending bills have gone up to a whopping Rs. 900 crore and the major defaulters are Government Departments and also normal electricity consumers (public). A heartening factor here is that industries have cleared their major dues and only some have retained a backlog.

Addressing a press conference at his office last evening, CESC Managing Director Jayavibhavaswamy said that the dues from public amount to Rs. 400 crore and the remaining Rs. 500 crore are from various Government Offices, Urban Local Bodies, Rural Local Bodies and schemes like Kuteera Jyothi, Bhagya Jyothi and lift irrigation that come under Rural Development and Panchayat Raj.

CESC controls 27,858 sq.km of area that comes under Mysuru, Mandya, Chamarajanagar, Kodagu and Hassan and till now, the dues have mounted up to Rs. 900 crore, he said. The dues were up to Rs. 1,100 crore and the pending money is being cleared in stages, he added.

“We have stepped up recovery despite problems faced by our staff and we have informed the State Government about outstanding dues. Gradually they will be cleared,” he added.

To the questions raised by reporters on the reported threats faced by the CESC staff from politicians and their followers if there is any disconnection of supply in the wake of default, Jayavibhavaswamy said that the officers would convince the defaulters on the efforts made to recover mounting dues.

Symposium on e-vehicles

In a major push to the use of electric vehicles (EVs), CESC has taken a step ahead in organising a symposium on ‘E-Vehicles and its charging technologies’ on May 7 at KEB Employees Association Training Institute in Kadakola.

Apart from the seminar, the CESC is in the process of setting up three EV charging stations apart from its already operational charging stations at its Corporate Office in Vijayanagar. The three new EV charging stations will come up at Kadakola, Kuvempunagar and Jyothinagar.

Jayavibhavaswamy said that the focus of the seminar is on green transport by inviting stakeholders to discuss the future technologies in electric vehicles, batteries and charging stations. “We are bringing the stakeholders on a common platform to get first-hand information on the initiatives and charging facilities,” he said. 

The day-long seminar, to be inaugurated by Energy Minister V. Sunil Kumar will also be a place for stakeholders to clear doubts. “Over 700 stakeholders from across the State will participate in the seminar and discuss the pros and cons of electric vehicles and charging technologies. Professionals from Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), Charge Point Operators (CPOs), Technology and Service Providers, E-Vehicle dealers and other EV stakeholders have been invited,” he added.

CESC purchases two electric four-wheelers

“To encourage green transport, CESC has purchased two electric four-wheelers to set an example and these vehicles will be inducted to the fleet of existing CESC vehicles and will be put to use at our Corporate Office,” he said.

Apart from the four electric charging points in Mysuru, CESC is planning to set up 10 such stations on the Mysuru-Bengaluru Expressway.

“CESC has jurisdiction till Channapatna and 10 charging stations will come up from Channapatna to Mysuru. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will identify suitable places on the Expressway to set up the charging stations. Including four from CESC, there are eight electric vehicle charging stations in Mysuru and among them, four are under private ownership,” he added.

The CESC has urged the Commissioners of Mysuru City Corporation, Mysuru Urban Development Authority and Municipal Offices at Mandya, Hassan, Chamarajanagar and Madikeri to provide details of space available on their premises for the allocation of two-wheeler charging stations, Jayavibhavaswamy added.

CESC Director (Technical) Manjappa, Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited Auditors’ Association President G. Manjappa, General Manager (HR) P. Ravikumar, General Manager (Purchase) K.M. Munigopalaraju, Chief Finance Officer Sheik Mohammad Muhimulla and others were present.